


Flowers of Io

by kkudzu



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Cute, Interspecies Romance, Largely unedited and a bit sloppy, Multi, Other, Queer Themes, Short Chapters, Slow Burn, but I’m having a good time and I hope you do too!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-12 07:32:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12954390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkudzu/pseuds/kkudzu
Summary: Warlock Nix had been studying the Fallen for as long as she'd been a Guardian, but it came as a surprise when she noticed some odd behaviour coming from a Captain. She decides to follow him and see if he would be willing to talk.





	1. Chapter 1

As soon as she walked in, she felt tension melt off her shoulders. Nix was happy to be at home after a long few days scouting in the field and she sighed as she let her bag drop to the hardwood. She was too tired to stop at a Vault drop-off when she arrived back in the Tower so she still had her main weapons. Telling herself she'd deal with them in the morning, she set them on the counter before kicking off her boots in a pile just shy of the welcome mat.

“We’ll deal with it in the morning,” she tiredly told Aylin.

The Ghost beeped in acknowledgement. “Should I transmat your armour still?”

Nix groaned and rubbed her face. “Sure,” she conceded, “in a heap on the floor.”

A quick scan and Aylin did just that.

“Nix?” A voice wafted in from across the apartment.

“I’m here, Gabriel, just going to have a bath.” Nix responded to her companion as she hobbled tiredly to the bathroom.

She drew the bath and let out another sigh as she sunk into the warm and herb-filled waters, it’s scent healing and calming to her fraying nerves and stamina. She scrubbed away the few days’ worth of dirt and sweat from her lavender skin and hair, feeling refreshed and ready for a proper nights’ sleep.

She had taken on a more daunting surveillance mission which took her into all sorts of cracks and crevices, mud and dirt. After toweling off and slipping into a nightgown, Nix was very much excited to be able to lie down.

She found Gabriel was still awake and reading in bed, his dark hair loose and puddled around his shoulders. Nix slid under the covers and playfully pushed the tablet from his hands as she sidled next to him.

"Pay attention to me, it's been days!" She looked up at him with a grin.

Gabriel laughed, "Alright Warlock, it is good to have your cool touch back.” He slid down to put his head on the pillow and Nix snuggled up to him with her head on his chest.

“Mmyes. Warm.” Nix curled her arm around his chest and soaked in the heat his skin always radiated.

“So tell me what you were up to for four days in the middle of nowhere?”

“Lots of crawling. I’m amazed I came out as clean as I did... I saw the Captain again.”

“Oh it’s been a while, huh?”

“Yeah. He was on his own, digging through some ruins. Looks like he came away with some stuff.”

“That’s not unusual though, given the nature of Fallen.”

“Except it wasn’t machinery. I went to check out the area after and it was books or whatever was left of some. He’s so strange...” Nix trailed off, lost in thought.

“So he is interested in our world as much as you are theirs.”

“Huh. Based on the previous behaviours I’ve observed of his crew it does seem a possible explanation. I’ll have to keep that in mind. I wonder,” she sat up a bit and looked at her partner, “should I send Saffron to scout him out? Maybe he’s squatting here on Earth?”

“To what end?” Gabriel brushed a damp lock from her eyes, “are you going to have a chat with them? They shoot anything that moves so how would you get close?”

Nix lay back down, saying nothing. He was right but she felt the need to know what this Eliksni Captain was doing. It seemed very unusual for a Captain to be out on his own, scavenging. They usually had the lower Dregs do those tasks, and they were usually accompanied by Shanks also. She would ask Saffron-44 in the morning to scout the area she saw him in and see what she could unearth.

For now, she was home and she was clean, warm, and oh so sleepy. Nix nuzzled into her warm companion and was asleep before she could even say goodnight.


	2. Chapter 2

"-'m not sure if his Ghost is entirely functional because of it." Aylin hovered into the apartment ahead of Nix, continuing to share her theories whether Nix wanted to know them or not. It was rather endearing that her Ghost was so invested in other Guardians and their Ghosts but sometimes the little machine didn't know when to stop.

"Aylin, you're not going to start a fight again, are you?" Gabriel greeted them from the kitchen where he was preparing food.

Nix laughed and set down a paper bag of groceries on the counter, "Oh Traveller's Light, not again. I almost went broke having to buy two new shells."

Aylin whirred noisily and huffed, "well, I was just--"

"Aylin, come!" Rosa, Gabriel's Ghost piped up from the den. "Come see this vid I found!"

"Ooh!" She buzzed off to the other room.

Gabriel shook his head in good humour. "I wonder about those two sometimes."

"They're in love, leave them alone," Nix started unpacking the groceries, "although she's started to criticize the Vanguard's Ghosts. Here, I picked up the herbs you needed."

"Ah, thank you. Oh, Saffron-44 stopped by, she left a datapad for you," he motioned to the dining room table.

Nix picked up the pad and sat down, booting it up and opening Saffron-44's notes. She had sent her to seek out and observe a specific Fallen Captain and his crew and it appears that he's been continuing to explore abandoned ruins and...

A plate of hot food was presented in front of her, it's great smell bringing her back to the present.

"You've been awfully quiet for the last hour, what's the scoop?" Gabriel slid across from her.

"The Captain has been living in the EDZ for a while but is being sent to Io to aid with other troops battling what's left of the Red Legion within the next few days!" Nix stood up and almost tipped the chair over, "I'm going to go to Io!"

"I still don't know why you want to follow him," Gabriel spoke around a mouthful of food, "are you actually thinking you'll get to speak to him? I'm not trying to discourage you, just legitimately curious where your mind is."

Nix sat back down and ate a few bites. "I know. You've always got my back. I honestly feel that with my knowledge of the Eliksni I can actually communicate with them. This Captain is not like the others and he might be my best bet to actually have a conversation. I could learn even more."

"Or get laid."

"Gabby!" Nix could feel her cheeks darken. "No- that's not why- why-"

"Ah Nix, you know I am half-joking," Gabriel chuckled and gave her a warm grin, "half."

"Yes, well," Nix averted her eyes and smiled despite herself, "it won't happen."

"Alright, how about this; since your Captain-"

"He's not MY Captain."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Since THE Captain is being sent to Io for fighting reasons, why don't we all go? I'm sure we could do some fireteam scouting and we can keep each other safe."

"That's... a good idea. I would appreciate that!" Nix grinned, "but I call the shots."

"Right, wouldn't want to cock-block you."

That earned Gabriel a well placed kick to the shin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope to get the next part up soon! :)


	3. Chapter 3

There was that Guardian again. Rannix was sure that it didn’t think he saw it, but he had a keen sense of his surroundings as he explored alone more often than a Captain should. He was sure the Guardian was a female Warlock, based on its bulky garments that caused vibrations in the flora that Rannix could easily pick up on.

He was out in the bowels of the Dead Zone, far enough away from his lair, ketch, and anyone else’s territory. His hobbies were quite unusual and different for a Captain-even the fact he had hobbies at all. Rannix was fascinated with Guardians, the Traveller, and Awoken and out here in the Dead Zone were hundreds of dilapidated buildings filled with books and remnants of an old way of life.

He was sifting through an old chest outside one of the buildings when he had noticed movement from the Guardian. It had found and followed him before but never attacked and always stayed hidden. A lesser Eliksni may not have noticed it but Rannix was always wary.

Keeping mindful of the female, he continued his search for new knowledge, eventually finding two books in readable condition and a broken datapad. He tucked them all in a large pouch attached to a belt that was slung around his waist, clasping it shut with his lower arms as he surveyed his surroundings once more.

The Guardian never moved from its well-concealed spot. Rannix made sure he didn’t let on that he knew by not lingering his gaze. It was time to go anyway, as the sun was setting and he wanted to make it back to his lair before it was completely dark.

He took off into the forest quickly, his clothing matched the surroundings so he blended in. He usually didn’t wear a cape when he explored. All it did was snag on everything, he wasn’t sure why so many Captains insisted upon wearing them. Alas, the Kell required it when he Presented so the only chance he took not wearing capes and draping waist-cloths was when he was out doing things he shouldn’t anyway.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive back to the main conflict areas. The Guardian did not follow so he headed straight for his lair. It was extremely well hidden underneath the forest and waters, it’s main entrance was straight down through a crop of rocks which was misleading to even a clever Guardian. The lair itself he found to be absolutely breathtaking. The lichens glowed like the stars and the plants were lush and green. His only qualm was that the majority of the lair was covered in water. His first day setting up here with his crew saw him slip under a waterfall and earned him a nickname-

“Drenched Captain has returned!”

If Rannix was in the City he would roll his eyes.

“Find goodies?” Griv, a Dreg, was on look out.

Rannix nodded, “Some books and a datapad to fix. Anything to report?”

Griv shook her head. “Heard noise close, was only Pikes.”

The Captain acknowledged with another nod of his head and continued into the main area of his lair where he found the Vandals Porok and Yalvir arguing over some sort of apparatus that was sparking from exposed wires. They stopped abruptly when they saw Rannix approach.

“Captain!”

“Everything good?”

“Yessir, we were discussing the best way to repurpose this old transmitter,” Yalvir spoke quickly, “I think it would be best to use as a proximity sensor—“

“And I think we should just gut it to fix other transmitters.” Porok interrupted.

“It still works, idiot, just not for its intended use!”

“The parts don’t work as a whole but if we cannibalize it to fix others it will still work!”

Rannix had raised a claw to interject but the two started arguing again. It was often like this but in the end they usually came to an agreement. For now, he had a job for them.

“Enough!” He snapped his right claws at them, something picked up from watching Human interaction. They both winced and apologized. Rannix held out the datapad and Porok took it, “I need this fixed or the information extracted. See what you can do tonight but it’s not top priority.”

“Sir!”

He continued his way through the camp, making a point to greet every member of his crew like he always did. He had a smaller team than most Captains but he was very proud and lucky to have them. They were, like him, Eliksni with hobbies, dreams, and thoughts of their own. These traits made them outcasts and Rannix readily invited them to his lair or helped them if already part of one. In turn, they fought alongside him and listened to him when he felt the need to share facts about Awoken or Guardians.

Rannix had a private area in the lair. It was up high, dry, had a secret exit if escape was needed, and a warm pool he used for bathing. He put his new finds on the furs where he slept before undressing to quickly wash the day’s dirt from his carapace.

Upon returning to his furs he noticed his own communicator flashing with an unread message from his Ketch. He picked it up and skimmed it over after he got the gist of it: all lairs in the Dead Zone are to head to Io with the Ketch to capture or kill a Cabal leader that stole something important from their Kell.

Io was not a place the Eliksni liked. Too many strange energies made them all feel uneasy. It was a feeling like trying to remember a memory that didn’t belong to them. Rannix’s theory was that the memories the planet evoked were their ancestors’ before The Whirlwind. Either way, the Kell wanted his stuff back and they had no choice but to help until it was resolved. He would let his followers know in the morning.

Rannix got comfortable in his furs and picked up one of the books he found and read it until he fell asleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Largely unedited. Not my best work but I’m just getting excited for the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

She didn’t like Io. The air felt weird on her metal frame and the atmosphere was creepy. She particularly wasn’t fond of the Vex. There had been too many missions involved in or around the Pyramidion that caused her to reboot so she avoided the planet entirely and Nix was lucky she liked her and was willing to help. 

“Nothing to report... still.” Saffron-44 sat atop a large crop of rock to survey the surrounding area for the fireteam. Specifically, for Nix. The warlock had a weird obsession with the Fallen and one specific Captain had captured her interest. Saffron had found intel that he’d be here on Io and Nix managed to twist her and Gabriel’s arms to scout and observe. Saffron’s ship in orbit was constantly looking out for any incoming Fallen activity to help give warning to the team should they arrive.

The area the Fallen were estimated to arrive in was a nearly barren swath of rock that held a large shallow pond. Saffron had perched herself on the least Vexy looking rock a klick away while the rest of the squad patrolled the valleys and crooks on foot. 

“Four-four,” Ghost piped up, “an anomaly on the ship’s sensors. Something’s coming in from hyperspace.”

“Let us know what it is asap!” Nix’s excitement in her voice was easily readable over the comms. 

“Reading... It’s a Ketch! A large one at that!” 

Saffron was already hopping down from her perch. “Let’s get to the rendezvous, people!” She hopped on her Sparrow to meet up with the rest of the team at a small outcropping they found hours earlier and decided it would be best to observe from. 

Nearly there, the Ketch burst from the sky above the pond and in hot pursuit was a Cabal ship. 

“Are you shitting me?!” Gabriel was heard over the comms and almost in person as Saffron pulled up to them. 

Nix pointed down below. “We should head to that cave!”

“Why?” Saffron jerked around to stare at her. “You want us to get closer but we can’t kill anything? That seems like a great plan!”

“I could get a closer look and see if the Captain is there.”

“And then what?”

“I’ll figure it out!” Without a second glance, Nix took off towards the cave in her Sparrow.

“Nix!” Gabriel glanced at Saffron and just shook his head before following her. 

The exo hesitated, staring at the ever growing battle in the sky and on land before resigning to follow the team. As they entered the cave and ditched the Sparrows, thuds could be heard on the battlefield of Cabal drop pods. 

Saffron surveyed the cave. It was small, with one half raised and the lower half sporting a large boulder offering cover. A thin stream of glowing water fell from the ceiling and into a small pool, where it presumably drained out below them. The entrance wasn’t huge but it allowed them a relatively safe view of the plateau. 

“Alright, void-for-brains, now what?” Gabriel said with an obvious grin. 

“Um...”

Before she could answer, a hostile blip appeared on their HUDs. Saffron and Gabriel leaped to the higher ground while Nix ducked behind the lower rock. Not a moment too soon a Fallen Captain darted into the cave and behind the natural cover. 

“Hey, what-!” Nix’s surprise was immediate but short lived as a drop pod darkened the entrance with a loud thud. It melted away to reveal two psions, one which immediately launched a glowing grenade into the cave. 

“Oh fuck!” Gabriel reacted by erecting a barrier for him and Saffron but she could see that Nix and the Captain weren’t prepared. 

Saffron felt like the next few seconds went in slow motion as the grenade exploded, launching debris, water, and dirt into the air and rattling her skeleton. As the barrier went down, she was aware the floor was cracking and the lower half was starting to sink. 

She couldn’t hear what was being shouted over the comms as all she could comprehend was that Nix was falling down out of sight with half of the cave with her. The other half was coming down on the hunter and as her vision went dark she hoped to the Light that her ghost would resurrect her back in the City.


	5. Chapter 5

_Dark blue fire, purple shades of smoke, so many stars. No feeling, weightless. No emotion, just the Void._

__

__

_Suddenly, red. Flash of red, hungry, spiteful, searing hot pain. Tympanic throbbing, screaming, screaming-_

Screaming was the first thing Nix heard, immediately followed by realization it was her. She was in incredible pain that lanced up her spine and down her legs. Why? Why wasn’t she being healed? Was she not just dead and waiting to be resurrected? Where was Aylin?

Whimpering from the pain she opened her eyes. She was lying face down and her helmet was cracked. The HUD was busted and glitching in a dizzying array that almost made her nauseous. She could sort of see her surroundings despite the damage but it all looked like a dark mess. 

The only option was to remove her helmet to see better so she grit her teeth and moved her arm to find the quick release catch on the back of her head. She had trouble at first from the pain to keep her arm up but eventually was able to wrestle the damaged helmet off. 

Where was Aylin?

Nix did her best to survey her situation but couldn’t concentrate on her surrounding with the pain blurring her vision. She looked around at her legs and realized with horror that a large boulder had crushed her right femur and severely damaged the surrounding tissue. Her robe was soaked with blood and her weapons were scattered and in pieces around her. A small blue light flickered weakly beside her thigh. 

Aylin!

She slowly twisted her body to try and grab her Ghost, dragging it towards her once she did. Aylin’s shell was damaged but her core survived, however she wasn’t responding. Nix always took an extra shell on missions as her Ghost was curious and too involved in battle. She dug around in a breast pocket and pulled out a few pieces, feeling relief as most of the shell was intact. 

It was a slow process to swap the shells on her own, the pain making her brain foggy and vision unclear, and it was just easier overall when the Ghost could transmat it. Eventually she locked on the shell and Aylin’s optic brightened. 

“Nix? What- oh!” She hovered up from the ground, slightly crooked, “You’re hurt! Ah!”

Nix felt the tingling of regenerating and relief from the pain was instant. She stretched her legs and slowly sat up, all the while her Ghost hovered in her vision. 

“I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I didn’t-“

“Oh, hush, little light, it’s not your fault.” Nix looked up and gestured, “it seems we have fallen a great distance.”

Aylin whirred. “I can’t connect to the ship or any other communications. Not only are we far underground, there’s interference. Probably Taken related.” She went off to scan their surroundings.

“Just peachy,” the Warlock stood and adjusted her clothing. “Not to be complaining but I’ve got damaged weapons and no helmet and a torn coat and I hope to the Traveller we can get out of here. I can hear Saffron now. ‘I told you to leave the Fallen alone’. Ugh.”

Nix noticed a dead Psion nearby, its limbs at odd angles and its weapons shattered on the cave floor. She watched Aylin’s erratic path and realized what she was scanning. 

“Is that the Captain?” Nix joined her Ghost beside the large Eliksni. 

“Yep. He’s still alive too.”

She felt a tingle at her neck that travelled down her spine and to her fingertips. Alive! What an opportunity! If he was okay and willing to talk, maybe falling down into a dark and dank cave wasn’t too bad after all. 

“Seriously?” Aylin asked in a flat tone.

“Get out of my head, Lightbulb. Is he okay?”

“One broken lower arm and bruising but his exoskeleton kept him safe from the fall. His weapon is intact too. Scorch cannon over here.”

Nix picked up the cannon and moved it well out of the way. “Better not have that at arms reach.”

“I’m going to keep looking for a way out.” Aylin continued on her path. 

Nix sat beside the Captain and just watched him. His breathing was slow and steady and concentrating on it was making her sleepy. Her mind wandered and she felt herself wondering what those breaths would sound like if her ear was on his chest...

It was Aylin who snapped her back to reality. “I found a weak wall!”

The Warlock slowly got up to see what Aylin had found. There was the faintest of blue glowing through a tiny crack in the cave wall. 

“It seems to lead to a proper cavern and beyond,” Aylin explained, “so its better than nothing.”

“How do we break it? I can’t just toss a grenade right now and the cannon is too dangerous-“

“I can help.”

Nix and Aylin turned to see the Captain standing up. Nix was speechless. He spoke in Standard. And he was walking towards them. 

She hopped out of the way as it was clear he was going for the wall, and just in time. His top fists slammed into the rock and enough fell away to reveal a rocky corridor. He pulled more rocks away until a sizeable hole was left. 

“You...” Nix just kind of gestured at the Eliksni.

“Can speak and listen to you. You can for Eliksni too. We should go.” With that, the Captain pulled himself through the opening and started off into the cave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I’m alive! Have a much needed update! Unedited as usual.   
> Going forward, any conversation text that is spoken in Eliksni will be with ‘single quotes’. Standard will be in “double quotes”.  
> Let me know what you guys think! Any idea what’s gonna happen next? :D

“Whuh-what... wait!” Nix frantically hopped over the rubble and had to jog to catch up to the long stride of the Eliksni. “How do you know I can speak Eliksni? How do you speak Standard? You knew I was following you? What-“

The Captain held up palm in a very Earth-like gesture. “No need to explain. We are here now, now we need to find a way to the surface.”

“Yes, but-“

“You do understand the rush for me? I will run out of Ether reserves in two Sols.”

“I do, and-“

“No more. We must travel fast before-”

“Hold on!” Frustrated and without thinking, Nix grabbed the Captain’s good lower arm in an attempt to stop him. She ducked as he whirled on her, his upper arm swinging with the intention to land a blow. His fist struck rock and he let out a huff while shaking out his arm before lunging at her.

Nix was quick but the Eliksni was quicker and he immediately had her slammed against the wall and pinned with all three arms, his masked face lowered to stare at her. She was faintly aware of Aylin making agitated noises above their heads and she knew she should be alarmed but the fact was that she was incredibly close to a subject she had an interest in for decades. His four glowing eyes glowering down at her just made her want to study them, find out what a working helmet was like, how it fit on the skull underneath.

Her lack of struggling didn’t go unnoticed. “Why would you think you could touch me, a Captain of the House of Dusk?” The Eliksni growled.

The Warlock stared back at him and responded in his language. ‘We need to work together to find a way out. We can’t do that if you’re storming off and demanding my silence.’

He stared at her for a full minute before letting her go. Once her feet were on the ground, Aylin healed her minor bruises but the Ghost kept her distance from the Eliksni.

“Thank you,” Nix scooped Aylin from the air and tucked her into her cowl.

The Captain was still looming over the Warlock and she was having trouble reading his body language. She had studied Eliskni customs, social and vocal cues, but none of it prepared her for actually interacting with one.

“I am called Rannix,” the Captain paused, “the Drenched Captain.”

“‘Rannix’,” she repeated. “My name is Nix. Which sounds like a piece of your name.” She couldn’t help but grin up at him. Sharing their name was a big thing among Captains.

“So it does. Let’s walk and talk.”

Nix finally took the time to observe her surroundings. They were in a rocky tunnel with a high ceiling and no visible beginning or end to it. A softly glowing trickle of water graced almost every part of the tunnel, lending them enough of a dull blue light to see without use of a flashlight. The ground was damp but the water seemed to vanish where the floor met the rocky wall.

Aylin spoke from within her nest, “the tunnel goes on for a couple hundred metres. No other paths, not sure if there’s an exit.”

“I guess that means we keep walking.” Nix said.

Rannix swore under his breath.

They walked in silence for a long time, only their footsteps and the water to be heard. Nix wondered if Gabriel and Saffron would gather a search team for them and end up walking just as long and as far. Or giving up after a ways.

‘How did you find me?’ Rannix broke the silence. ‘Or rather, why?’

“I would often explore the EDZ on my own,” Nix explained, “I would find old buildings that appeared to have been looted, but not in the usual way Eliksni or Guardians do. So I asked the Hunter in my team to help me find out who it was. Eventually we saw you, and I quietly observed. The ‘why’ is that I was curious. I’ve been studying your kind for so long but never have seen or heard of one looting books. You fascinated me.”

“Hm. I can understand that. I knew lots about Awoken before joining House of Dusk. Earth provided opportunities to learn more.” Rannix’s tone was softer than it was before and Nix had a feeling this was how he usually spoke.

“I guess we have something in common.” Nix gave him a little grin. “Hey, how come you’re wearing a cape now but usually I would see you without one?”

They fell into a comfortable conversation for the next few hours as they walked on, asking questions and filling the gaps in their knowledge about each other. They had barely noticed the glowing getting brighter until Aylin alerted them.

“Hey you two, look ahead!” The Ghost zipped in front of them into the light beyond. They followed quickly and it soon became apparent they had walked into a huge water-filled cavern. The blue glow from the water bounced off the walls and brightened the dark rock. A large pool sat in the center and rising from it was a column of rock and the source of the water. The stalagmites around it almost had a green hue and the entire spectacle took Nix’s breath away.

“Wow.” Both Nix And Rannix said in unison. Nix grinned at him and squeezed his lower arm, this time knowing she wouldn’t get decked.

“You wouldn’t believe the main compound of the liquid coming out of that rock!” Aylin came back to them after she had flown around the cave. “It’s Ether!”


	7. Chapter 7

“Well, sort of.” The little Ghost whirred and looked from Rannix to Nix. “Ether created by Servitors is synthetic and this is natural. It appears to have the same life-giving properties for Eliksni as their Ether.”

Rannix knelt at the water’s edge. He could see his reflection in the crystal clear water and wondered if what the Ghost said was true. He dunked an arm into the pool and could feel the familiar tingle of life being regenerated. 

Nix was looking at him with what he thought was a curious expression. “It is,” he gestured, “I can feel the energy in the water. I think I will get in for a swim to heal my wounds.” 

“It’s amazing, it doesn’t feel like anything to me.” Nix had pulled off a glove and was running her hand through the water. “I almost booted up a Servitor once as I wanted to see what Ether felt like to a non-Eliksni.”

“‘Almost’?” The Captain started unsnapping and removing the gear he didn’t want to get wet as he spoke, “how did that work out for you?”

“I crossed some wires that shouldn’t have been crossed and it, uh...” the Warlock trailed off when she had looked in Rannix’s direction. He essentially stripped down to the bare minimum of a waist cloth and his mask, and couldn’t quite decipher the look on Nix’s face. 

“And?” He gestured with a hand for her to continue. 

She looked up and away, “uh, yeah, it, uhh... exploded.” She coughed and waved her arms, fingers splayed, “goo everywhere.” 

“I had to revive her!” The Ghost piped up cheerfully. 

Rannix laughed at this as he stepped into the pool. The water was pleasant against his plates and he could feel the cool tingling sensation that indicated an Ether refill. It was different, soothing. Manufactured Ether was punchy and to the point. He couldn’t help but sigh as he nearly submerged himself in the blue healing water. 

He looked over at Nix, who was still looking away and had a pink tinge to her lavender cheeks. “Don’t be embarrassed about failing, Awoken, I’m sure a lot was learned by working on that Servitor.” Although the colours on her cheeks are pleasing. Rannix almost snorted audibly at the wanton thought that floated through his head. He wasn’t a harsh Eliksni but he certainly wasn’t a romantic. Was this magic cave messing with him?

“That’s a very positive thing to say, coming from a Fallen Captain,” she had that small grin on her face that seemed ever-present, “but it’s not that. It’s, uh... well, you’re nearly naked, so...”

“Ah.” He sat up a bit, upper arms resting on the rocky ledge. “In all your studying of Eliksni you have to know that modesty in that way is essentially non-existent. We live, eat, breathe, mate, and fight in close quarters. Only being in undergarments does not bother anyone.” 

Her cheeks seemed pinker. “It’s different for Earth-dwellers,” she said softly, “we value our privacy and so skin and nakedness is considered private and intimate.” 

“I did always wonder about that sort of thing,” he said after a bit. “Never understood why it was so... hmm what’s the word... taboo to be able to undress and bathe or relax with just anyone. If it makes you uncomfortable I can put more garments back on.” He started to get up and reach for his gear but Nix shook her head. 

“It’s okay! You’re right, it shouldn’t be such a big deal. You’re, uh, covered up anyway. Maybe I’ll hop in too.” Nix shared a look with her Ghost Rannix couldn’t quite place. “Aylin, enough hovering over us, we are still technically stuck underground with no way out.”

“Right! I’m on it!” It whirred and floated up and away, scanner humming. 

Rannix watched the Guardian meticulously undo and remove her bulky armour (he could never figure out why Warlocks had to wear so much fabric) and set it aside in a neat pile beside her boots. 

It was as he was watching her step into the water and how he thought the definition of her musculature looked quite strong and smooth that it occurred to him that he might just be attracted to an Awoken.


	8. Chapter 8

“You know, the water does feel a little tingly on my skin,” Nix said as she settled into the pool. She had kept on her under-armour bra and compression shorts and admitted to herself it felt nice to feel somewhat clean after a rough and dirty half-Sol. Dust sure gathered in all the little spaces under her gear from falling a half kilometre into a deep dark cave.

“Probably because it’s full of minerals and salt.” Aylin said from across the cavern. 

Nix rolled her eyes with a grin and a shrug at Rannix. The Eliksni’s body language was currently unreadable to her as he held his broken arm under the water and the cool light from his four eyes gazed on her and around the room. She held his gaze for a bit before breaking away, looking down at her hands as she swirled them through the clear water. 

She didn’t deny feeling a bit uncomfortable, wary, and weird. She had such a passion for all things Eliksni; decades of study, observation, and anticipation of finally conversing with one seem to have flown out her ears now that she was here, essentially having a bath with one. The plates that formed his exoskeleton were pleasing to her eye and she felt herself wondering what they would feel like...

She realized they had such easy conversation in the tunnel but now they were both quiet and looking at each other or the water. He would flex his hand on the broken limb every so often. 

“How’s your arm?” Nix asked, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. 

Rannix lifted the arm in question and almost flexed it fully. “Almost healed. I’ve had much worse. This healing water is a boon but I could have easily made it without.”

Nix cocked her head. “‘Worse’? How so?”

The Captain paused as if contemplating his words. “Before joining House of Dusk I was part of an elite squad out in the Reef. I’ve seen many hard battles. My worst injury was caused when a power-charged rocket grazed my face before exploding behind me. Sent burning shrapnel into my back and neck and nearly took off two of my arms. It was days before I saw a medkit, never mind a Servitor.” He stood up and turned around, motioning to his back. “You can see scars where my plates didn’t heal so well.”

Nix moved forward to have a look. Sure enough, his dark plates were pockmarked, nearly unnoticeable in the lower light of the cave. The way he scarred was fascinating and it was all Nix could do to wade over to him and touch them. 

They both settled back into their opposite ends of the pool as Aylin floated back down to Nix. 

“I got a weak signal near the top of the cave, it’s enough to transmat gear and send out a distress call if you’d like.” The Ghost hovered between the two. 

“A distress call might be too broad if the Red Legion and Fallen are still out there,” Nix frowned, “is there enough room to tighten the transmission to my Fireteam?”

Aylin hummed, “I could probably manage that but it would take a bit longer to configure.”

“Ghost.” 

Both Warlock and her Light turned to Rannix. 

“Is it possible to send down some sort of bottle? I’d like to take some of this water back for testing.” He sounded almost bashful in his request and Nix found it quite endearing.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll get one for us too, Nix.”

Nix reached out to give Aylin an affectionate nudge. “Thank you, Aylin. Hopefully a way out can be found soon. Although this isn’t the worst way to be trapped.”

Nix watched Rannix flex and lift his arm. “You mentioned you were part of an elite squad- which one? I know there are and have been a lot out in the Reef.”

The Captain gave a low gravelly chuckle as he rose from the water and started to get out and dressed. “I am not going to share that much about my past, Guardian. It is easier to speak of the Eliksni people than it is about an individual.”

“Alright,” Nix lifted herself to sit on the pool’s edge, legs still in the water, “so were there a lot of your people in this squad?”

That earned her a hard stare with no response. 

Nix was picking through her damaged armour to see what was still wearable when Aylin came back, practically vibrating. “Nix! I was scanning the area again to see the best place to send out a tight-beam signal but instead discovered a specific spot exists that would allow for full connection to transmat and communicate!” 

“That’s great! Where do you need us?”

The little Ghost floated up high, beyond the pool’s stalagmites to what appeared to be a shelf in the cave wall. “Up here,” she said, “it’s a short tunnel but the end of it goes straight up to the surface at a shorter distance than where we fell.”

“I can’t jump that high, Aylin.”

“I can climb that.” Rannix said. “I could reach down and grab you if you get close enough.” 

Nix looked at him and shrugged, “worth a shot.”

“Okay!” Aylin vanished down the tunnel, reappearing shortly while transmating two containers and a pile of armour. All of which tumbled off the shelf and fell to the ground below. 

“Oooh,” Nix ran to where her armour fell, “you best be glad that didn’t get wet.” She packed up her damaged gear and quickly dressed into the fresh clothing while Rannix grabbed the containers and filled them with water from the Ether-pool. 

Nix gave a Void powered leap at the shelf, the tips of her fingers reaching a few feet from the ledge. “That should be doable with your help, Rannix.” She said as she landed. 

Rannix nodded and scaled the wall so quickly that Aylin was almost run into when he reached the top. 

“Show off.” Nix grinned and kept up again. This time there were two clawed arms waiting for her at the top of her jump. They were strong and easily caught her own arm to lift her onto the ledge.

“Thanks,” Nix breathed, suddenly hyper aware they were standing very close to each other. The tunnel was small and didn’t allow for too much extra room, and Rannix had to crouch, an upper arm stretched along the wall to provide more room, the other arm just releasing its grip on Nix.

She looked ahead at her Ghost. “I’d like to come back here but I think we should keep the coordinates to ourselves.”

“Yes.” Rannix started walking to the end of the tunnel. “If word gets out about this, it will be a war to obtain it. My people would want to own it and our enemies would want to stop it. Until we know more about it, it belongs to no one.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” They stopped at the end and looked up. “Doesn’t look like a way out, Aylin.”

“It’s hidden! Hardly visible from the surface. I’ll send you both up and near the entrance since there’s no sign of anyone nearby.”

“Let’s do it.”

The familiar tingle of transmat washed over Nix and before she could blink they were standing on the surface. It was dusk and they were surrounded by the tiny purple and blue flowers that inhabited Io. Nothing was around for kilometres and the air was still. The only evidence there was a cave nearby was a small outcropping of rocks beside them. 

“Once we are in orbit, send a message to my Fireteam.” Nix turned to Rannix. “I would love to learn more about you and the Eliksni. Is there any way we can meet again?”

The Captain looked at her, “I would also like that, however I think it is best if we leave our next meeting to the stars. There’s a lot of information to process here, and a lot of dangerous people could want it. If we meet again, consider that a sign we are to continue meeting.” He tilted his head slightly, “we are both going to be returning here, I would say there’s a chance we will see each other again.”

Nix blinked at what seemed like a romantic sentiment coming from the Eliksni. “Yeah,” she grinned up at him, “I like that. See you soon, Rannix.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Not the best writing but hope you enjoyed!  
> Next update might be a bit until I figure out where I want to take it. Any thoughts or ideas, feel free to shoot a message or leave a comment! I’m active on tumblr as well (king-of-nothing) so feel free to reach out there too. I love knowing who my fellow bug-huggers are <3


	9. Chapter 9

“Nix... Hellooo... Earth to Nix!”

Nix blinked and realized her mind had wandered again. Gabriel sat at the table in front of her with an amused look on his face. “Let me guess,” he sat back and folded his arms, “back to Io?”

They sat at a bistro table at a busy cafe in the heart of the Tower, a now cold coffee and a half eaten pastry in front of Nix. Aylin was on a chair, resting on top of Rosa and Ghost as she often did, optical closed in contentment as they basked in the sun. Saffron sat cross-legged at a cushioned bench nearby with an ancient datapad. It was a peaceful day and with the whole fireteam caught up on their paperwork, they decided to go out and relax. Every spare moment however, Nix’s mind wandered to Io and Rannix and tuned everything out. 

She gave an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry, Gabriel, I don’t know why it’s gotten so distracting lately.”

“I know why,” Saffron spoke without looking up, “you need to get laid by that guy.”

Nix could feel the heat starting to colour her cheeks. Saffron wasn’t wrong. Nix spent the last few decades extensively studying the Eliksni and had come to terms that she found them attractive. Nevertheless it was always embarrassing getting called out. 

Gabriel laughed, “oh don’t tease her, please. She’ll start thinking she has to justify it again.”

“I’m going to push you both off the Tower.” 

“I am surprised you haven’t gone back. It’s been a month after all, what if he’s been waiting?”

“If I haven’t figured out how that Ether-water works yet, I doubt he has either.” 

“Maybe he wants to fuck you too and goes back every day.” Saffron still didn’t look up from her datapad.

“You filthy Exo!” Nix leaned back to hit Saffron’s arm, eliciting a cackle from the Hunter. “I should probably devote some free time to studying that sample.” She stood up, picking Aylin up and tucking the ghost in her palm. 

“I’ll catch you later, Nix.” Gabriel leaned back and gave her a nod. 

—

Rannix sat on the floor of his lair, giving a scorch cannon a good cleaning. He found this relaxing and in keeping his hands busy it allowed him to think. Think about what? That damn Guardian, that’s what. She was far more intelligent than he expected (he knew that wasn’t fair of him, but he always felt the writers of all the human books were smarter than those alive now) and he couldn’t get those bright white eyes out of his brain. Or her scent, or her skin, or—

He gnashed his mandibles and snorted in frustration, tossing the weapon piece he was holding aside. This was ridiculous. He had been around Awoken before, interacted with them, learned from them, was even intimate with one long ago. Why was this Guardian so different? 

He got up and stepped out of his room. “Yalvir! Porok!” He barked into the cave. He heard a faint “coming!” and scrabbling as the Vandals made their way to the Captain.

“Sir!” They said in unison. 

“How’s the study on the water going?”

“We have determined that it does, in fact, hold the same chemical compounds as the Ether we need from the Servitors and-” Porok started. 

“- we hypothesize that it’s far more potent; just drinking it will provide Eliksni with energy enough for days!” Yalvir finished. 

Rannix tucked his arms behind his back. “When do you think you’ll know for sure how long it will sustain us?” 

“We need more to test.”

“And perhaps a field test would be necessary.”

“Thank you. Dismissed.” Rannix excused them with a nod. “Nevis!” He called as the Vandals hopped away. 

The Marauder named Nevis showed up at his side before he could call twice. 

“Yes, Captain?”

“Ready my skiff, Nevis. I need to head out solo.”

“Yessir. It will be ready within the Sol.” She took off as silently as she showed up. 

Rannix went back into his room to finish putting the cannon back together. His mind once again wandered to Nix and he realized there was nothing he could do to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been doodling a lot of Nix and Rannix for Inktober so hopefully my updates will come more often with the inspiration!


	10. Chapter 10

The next month was hard for the fireteam. 

Nix had just finished prepping for a trip to Io when she and Gabriel received a distress call from Saffron. The Hunter had left a few days prior on a mission with Cayde-6 out in the Reef and they hadn’t expected to hear back from her for a while. 

They rushed out to the Reef and found Saffron hysterical over the tragic events that befell her and Petra. Her ghost had to catch them up to speed as they solemnly brought Cayde’s body back to the Tower, as Saffron was heading into a dark depressive spiral and wasn’t responsive to her squadmates. 

They both had seen this in her before and knew she would have a tendency to self-harm in an effort to reboot. Ghost did not want this to happen again and they knew she would need constant supervision for a while, so Nix and Gabriel agreed to take shifts in watching over Saffron until the fear of a reboot had passed, with Ghost on the alert at nighttime.

Once Nix could go a full night without being pinged by Ghost did she know Saffron was past the urgency stage. She went to Saffron’s apartment the next morning with fresh coffee like she usually did. 

She opened the door to find Saffron sitting on her dingy couch watching news on the vid screen, a surprising change from the usual struggle to get her out of bed. 

“Hey, how did you sleep?” Nix offered Saffron a cup, to which she accepted it and took a sip. 

“Good. Better.” Saffron rubbed her jaw. “I think I’m ready to head out.”

Nix sat beside her. “You know you can’t go without one of us just yet.”

“I know, I don’t want that to change. I really... I can’t afford another reboot. My circuits can’t handle emotive stress and I don’t fully remember what happened out on the Reef after... you know.”

Nix searched her friend’s face. Saffron was a woman of few words and while for her to be concerned about her own well-being was a positive change, Nix was still wary. She reached out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. “We will move at your pace, you know that.”

“I’m glad you guys stayed with me. I would have done something really stupid.” Saffron avoided Nix’s gaze and stared at her coffee. “But I have unfinished business out in the Reef.”

“Alright, but it will take at least two days to prep.” Nix lended a cheeky grin, “plus somehow you stink. Go clean yourself up, you stinky bucket of bolts, and we will pick up some supplies in town.”

Saffron gave a rare laugh, “I will. Keep in mind you’re always stinky to me, glowing flesh sack.”

Nix scrunched her nose at that choice of words. 

“If I had a nose I’d be doing that all the time.”  
-  
Two days later saw Nix and Saffron out in the Tangled Shore, fighting against strange Ether-transformed Fallen called Scorn. They gave the atmosphere a sickly electrical feeling and Nix didn’t like it one bit. Her usual fascination with all things Eliksni did not reach out to these poor reanimated souls, and she silently vowed to help Saffron as best as she could to destroy the tainted Ether. 

It was when Nix stood in front of Spider that this suddenly became personal. 

She had heard of an Eliksni out in the Shore that preferred to make deals to enemies. She had never expected to be out here face-to-face with him. 

While Saffron was chatting with Petra and Spider, Nix stood off to the side and just observed. Spider changed her perspective on Eliksni metabolism and how they carried weight. He was hefty when all other’s she had seen were slim and fit. It made sense; the Eliksni she is used to seeing are fighting for their lives, territory, a chance to rank up. They have to be fit to fight. Spider is comfortable and in charge, nothing has seemed to threaten his livelihood. 

His two guards were also unfazed by their presence. They occasionally spoke to Spider or into a communicator, but they were largely at ease. 

Saffron was ready to leave and Nix quietly followed her, knowing she had to return and speak to Spider herself.   
-  
As soon as it was Gabriel’s turn to care for Saffron, Nix took off for the Tangled Shore on her own. She was hoping to catch Spider alone to ask him a few questions. 

Guardians were in and out of his lair at a constant pace. Nix was waiting just outside for the opportunity to get him alone but it seemed futile at this point. As she was about to leave she heard a rumbling. 

“What have you been waiting for, little Awoken?” 

Nix cautiously looked around to see who he was speaking to and realized it was to her. 

“Yes, you, come here.” 

She felt shy, like she didn’t belong. Like she didn’t have any business being here without Saffron leading. Nix stepped into his lair and noticed there were no other Guardians and even Petra was absent. 

“I saw you here with the troubled Exo, Guardian. What has brought you back?” Spider sounded amused yet his voice was far from warm. He sat back, relaxed, two of his claws playing with a ghost shell like a children’s toy. 

“My name is Nix and I’m looking for information about a Captain.” She was unsurprised Spider spoke Standard but she responded to him in Eliksni. 

Spider stopped fiddling with his dead ghost. “Ah, you are quite fluent in my native tongue,” he had switched to Eliksni, “not many of you Guardians care so much.”

“I’ve been studying for a long time.” 

“So you have.” He flicked a hand. “You’re looking for information, what do you have to offer in return?”

“I need to know if you have this information first,” Nix hoped he didn’t see her shaking hands. This was a situation she was not used to and usually left negotiating to Gabriel. 

Spider gave a deep chuckle, “It feels good to converse in Eliksni so I’ll humour you. Go on.”

“I’m looking for information on a Captain of the House of Dusk, Rannix. I believe he currently inhabits the European Dead Zone on Earth.”

“Ah, Rannix, I know that name. Bit of a hippie that one.”

Nix blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Hmm,” Spider rumbled as he thought, “I’ll provide you some information as a favour but anything more will cost you. Do we have a deal?”

A favour owed to an information monger made Nix sweat. However she was just too curious and honestly how bad could it be? “Sure, yeah. Deal.” 

“Excellent. Now,” the big Eliksni’s eyes flashed as he leaned forward, “pay attention as I won’t be repeating this for free. 

“Rannix was part of the House of Wolves before they rebelled. He was quite active and vocal about working with the Awoken and not against them. I heard rumours at the time that he was inseparable with one of Mara Sov’s envoys; they worked together quite often.

“Well, as things go, when the Wolves rebelled and war is had, my knowledge gets a bit... fuzzy. I’ve heard before he joined House of Dusk, Rannix lead a rag-tag team of Houseless vigilantes.

“After joining the House of Dusk he made a name for himself that earned him some sort of invincibility with the Kell. He can get away with a lot. He’s still vocal about Eliksni rights and how they shouldn’t force themselves upon planets or look towards peace.”

“I can see why you chose such an old word as ‘hippie’.” Nix piped up. 

The Spider chuckled, “he’s softer than most Captains but he’s not weak. He’s still Eliksni through and through.”

They spoke a bit more and Nix left with her brain feeling full of new information. As she took to orbit and left the Reef, she realized she had to find and meet Rannix again as he just got all the more interesting.


	11. Chapter 11

“I will absolutely not harbour a criminal!” Rannix growled angrily at his Kell, Nekrysk. He was aboard the Kell’s ketch for a meeting that was called when he was about to take off for Io. If Rannix hadn’t been irritated before, he absolutely was now. 

Nekrysk was leaning forward in his seat, upper arms pent over his chest, his body language indicating he wasn’t alarmed at Rannix’s anger. The Kell’s guards were visibly more wary and had at least one claw on a weapon. Also present in the chamber were a few Captains at or below Rannix’s status, as well as Rannix’s second, Nevis. The Kell sat on a large throne-like chair just under windows that were open to the stars. 

“Rannix, you have the safest hideout in the EDZ. Even my finest scouts took a long time to find you. It’s the best place for Ikthros to be until this chaos passes over.”

“He was in the Prison for a reason,” Rannix couldn’t hide the distaste in his voice, “and I don’t want to be part of the lawlessness of the Forgotten Shore.”

The Kell was silent for a while before waving his arm dismissively, “Everyone but Rannix leave. Now.”

“Wait in the skiff,” Rannix rumbled quietly to Nevis. She nodded and left with the other Captains. 

Nekrysk leaned back into his seat and sighed. It was a heavy sigh, weary with a tinge of frustration. Rannix knew it all too well. 

“You know I am honour-bound and indebted to you, Rannix, but you must understand the position I’m in. Ikthros is Dusk and the Barons put this in my Ketch. I can’t have you making a fool of me and costing me my own head!”

“Having him in my den will only stress out my crew and the supplies we keep. Frequent in and outs will only draw unwanted attention, not to mention completely upend my cause for a better Eliksni people.” He counted off the points angrily with his claws. “How am I supposed to remain reputable if I have a fucking criminal in my den?”

Nekrysk pounded a fist on the arm of his chair. “This is not permanent, Rannix. As discussed earlier, you’ll be compensated accordingly and-”

“And what? Gain a bunch of accolades that mean nearly nothing these days? You’ve got-”

“Captain.” The Kell rose slowly from his seat and pulled himself up to full height. Rannix forgot he was a good few heads taller than himself and realized he may have let his anger get the better of him and pushed too hard. 

“Ikthros will be delivered in seven solar cycles. You will be sent instructions on what he requires and how to keep him in a low profile.” Nekrysk shifted his arms behind his back and leaned in. Rannix could smell the high quality ether coming from his mask. “You will not disobey these orders, Rannix, because if you do I will personally drag you by your neck onto my ship where I’ll take you to the Reef and throw you to the fucking Wolves. Do I make myself clear?”

Rannix wanted to swallow but found his mouth bone dry. “Yes, Kell.”

“Good. Dismissed.” 

Rannix bowed and left the chamber quickly, heading to the transporter to take him to where his skiff was docked. His stride was hurried and he didn’t notice Nevis cleaning the side of the skiff, knocking her off as he activated the door. 

“Ah, Nevis!” He managed to scoop her into the skiff as he went. “Sorry about that.”

The Marauder barely made a noise as she recovered from the tumble. “Not a concern, Captain. Are we ready to go?” Nevis was always down to business. Her unending hard work and dedication were why Rannix chose her as his second. Of all the Eliksni in his command, he did not know Nevis’ backstory. She had come to him with nothing but the clothes on her back and a promise to be an asset to the crew. 

Now, Rannix realized he had to trust her more than ever before. “Yes, but I’ll be dropping you off on Earth and taking off for Io alone like I originally intended.” They got into their respective seats and Rannix began the take off protocol. “The High Captain Ikthros will be our unwanted guest after all.” He had a sour taste on his tongue that he assumed would be there until the criminal left. 

They were given the all clear and the skiff dropped from the Ketch, zipping silently away and entering hyperspace. Once settled, Nevis spoke up. “Shall I ensure our sensitive projects are hidden from him, Captain?”

“Yes. Utilize our backup security measures and hidden tunnels. Make sure everyone knows the seriousness of this. Ikthros will undoubtedly be reporting back to Nekrysk.” _Because I don’t tell the Kell everything and he knows it._

The remainder of the trip passed in silence and Nevis was transported back to their watery den before Rannix adjusted course for Io. He was needing to visit the ether pools again, for both research and his own relaxation. Perhaps the energies of that glowing cave would calm him enough to think of a solution for his clan. They would never be able to handle such a dangerous and sadistic personality such as Ikthros and Rannix knew he had to remove them or the fugitive from the equation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took! Writers block and life have taken over. Hopefully some more regular updates going forward.  
> I’ll also be starting a new work with short stories relating to my characters so keep an eye out for that!  
> Comments are soooo appreciated! Thanks for reading!


End file.
